Southampton 2 - 0 Arsenal

Very, very shit.

The end.

Arsenal have yet to win three league games in a row this season. That's not a surprising statistic but the current inability to put together a run of form is indicative of how much we're underachieving and how inconsistent this team has become.

It's a squad stretched to the limit because of injuries but we still had our first choice back four and keeper out there this afternoon and they were all dire, both as individuals and as a unit. Southampton's goals were top quality comedy, involving highly paid international defenders and keepers incapable of making the simplest of decisions correctly.  

Why does Szczesny come off his line? Koscielny should have done better to begin with but Mane was going to the byline, not towards the goal. The only things Mane could have done were cut the ball back or turn away from the goal, so there was absolutely no need for Szczesny to come off his line. But he did, got nowhere near the ball and ended up looking the fool when Mane spun and chipped the ball over his head. Szczesny's a good keeper but it's appalling decision making like that that holds him back from being any better than good.

The second goal was somehow more shambolic. I don't care who it should have been, but somebody had to just stick a size ten through the ball and be done with it. But nope, this is Arsenal, and defending isn't a simple thing at Arsenal. Debuchy doesn't want to clear, Szczesny doesn't want to pick the ball up, Mertesacker doesn't want to clear it. Everybody involved hesitated and Tadic put the ball away.

Going forward we were back to being toothles. There was no penetration at all and there was a shortage of ideas; you can tell this was the case when all Arsenal could muster was crappily floated crosses into the box towards our oh-so gigantic front line. Southampton have a good defence and they gobbled those crosses up all game. The odd occasion we managed to get a shot on goal, it was always straight at Forster.

Even if we had scored, I feel it would have been totally undeserved. Southampton were comfortable for most of the second half and had more than enough chances to put the game to bed. Pelle hit the post twice and Ward-Prowse missed two presentable chances as Arsenal tried to come up with as many ways to gift Southampton a goal as they could in one game.

Start the year as you mean to go on, as they say. I was cautiously optimistic after the West Ham game and that caution was completely vindicated. Arsenal can't perform well without somebody getting injured. Arsenal can't defend well for more than a couple of games anymore. Arsenal have no consistency in their performances as a couple of decent performances will be inevitably followed by a shit one. I've used this expression before, but just when you think Arsenal have turned a corner, they run into a brick wall.

The only saving grace today was Man United, West Ham, Swansea and Liverpool also dropping points. No doubt Spurs will also drop points, so Southampton will be the only beneficiaries of today's results. Still, fourth place looks unlikely to me at this point, purely because we can't string more than two league wins together. I think people take it for granted that we'll get our shit together and go on a long run like we have in the previous three seasons, but I really can't see it. Arteta, Ramsey and Ozil will come back but that'll be balanced out by three others picking up injuries. The defensive problems aren't going to go away, either, and I don't think we're going to luck out with the teams around us collapsing spectacularly, either; they aren't Spurs, after all.

My apologies for being down on everything but every time I try to be optimistic and see the brighter side of things I end up being disappointed and I'm rapidly approaching the point of no longer giving a damn.

Hull next in the cup. A good cup run would be nice...

Crap.
Just wasn't our day I guesss.

So typical of us this season, we don't seem to get in any kind of form at all.

A couple of points:

- Alexis is NOT a central striker Arsene so stop playing him there
- Oxlade-Chamberlain is NOT a midfielder so stop playing him there
- Chambers is a RB or RCB NOT a DM so stop playing him in any other position.
- Stop playing our players out of position for *bleep* sake
- Debuchy has performed like crap for 3 straight games so stop playing favourites Arsene, same for Giroud when he comes back
- We need Arteta, Welbeck and Özil back desperately

That was horrible from Arsenal. Arsenal hasnt got the mentality to handle the pressure in important matches. Chesny was at fault for both goals but our CBs were poor too. Chambers in midfield didnt work but Coquelin has surprised me in his both starts. He is much much better than Flamini.

up untill the final thrid i think we were pretty good bar the defence. If we had one of welbeck and giroud we would have beat this team. For me the midfield passing was crisper than i though it would be. coq and chambers impressed me

Defending has been bad but I think they are a bit tired, they'll improve on that.

I think our run againsts the lesser teams starts now, our tough away games against boggy teams are finished. we've had swansea/westham/southampton/stoke all away. next half with all our injuries back I can see us going on a massive run a securing 3rd/4th so im just bothered.

REWB wrote:up untill the final thrid i think we were pretty good bar the defence. If we had one of welbeck and giroud we would have beat this team. For me the midfield passing was crisper than i though it would be. coq and chambers impressed me

Defending has been bad but I think they are a bit tired, they'll improve on that.

I think our run againsts the lesser teams starts now, our tough away games against boggy teams are finished. we've had swansea/westham/southampton/stoke all away. next half with all our injuries back I can see us going on a massive run a securing 3rd/4th so im just bothered.

We have City in 3 matches time

Every team in EPL is a challenge for Wenger. Hull City have been playing well lately and I can see them ending our FA cup run.

New year, same shit Arsenal and same clueless manager. Wenger blames everyone other than himself and the players, I cant wait for his excuses this time.

We really lucky to have chambers- who can play every positions!

El Gunner wrote:

REWB wrote:up untill the final thrid i think we were pretty good bar the defence. If we had one of welbeck and giroud we would have beat this team. For me the midfield passing was crisper than i though it would be. coq and chambers impressed me

Defending has been bad but I think they are a bit tired, they'll improve on that.

I think our run againsts the lesser teams starts now, our tough away games against boggy teams are finished. we've had swansea/westham/southampton/stoke all away. next half with all our injuries back I can see us going on a massive run a securing 3rd/4th so im just bothered.

We have City in 3 matches time

im talking about the difficult teams bar the top 5. if we are consistent against the fodder teams like last season we will get into the top 4.

Mertesacker
on not finding enough consistency…
The last two games we were in good spirits and those games were close together and we fought really hard for the two wins. But today was slightly different. I think we have to come back to our main strength. But we didn’t show up with a good performance today. We have to remind ourselves every day that we need to have a big performance.

I guess Wenger forgot to motivated the team again this year and the players forgot to remind themselves to have a big performance.

Wenger on the defeat…
The regret is that we lost this game because it was a self-inflicted defeat. We had chances to win this game and when we were in control we made the mistakes in our final third that allowed them to win the game. It’s unfortunate but there was much more in this game than the 2-0 defeat. We gave a lot and their keeper kept them in the game. We made the mistakes at the back that basically meant we were punished.

Arsene Wenger: Fan arrested for confronting Arsenal boss



http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30651522

Wenger
on the fan who confronted him…
He was a young boy and I think he was a Southampton fan. He was not arrested at all. I don’t think he said anything. It was not aggressive at all.


Southampton say the man is an Arsenal fan who was sat with home supporters.

The fan probably planned that before the game.

There have been lots of things that have depressed me this season, but seeing Southampton beat us so comfortably is right up there.

Southampton are a great example of what good coaching and good tactics can do for a team. They've the best defence in the league with a backline that's unspectacular but organised and protected by a strong and intelligent midfield. They don't have that much guile in their team yet they're dangerous when they attack.  

To put this into perspective, Koeman has been in charge for less than a year and they had a major turnover of players in the summer. Yet in that time, they've built a consistent side, helped by everyone knowing what their role is and creating a strong collective.

When I compare it to how Arsenal are, you can really see how far we've fallen in these areas. Once again we're near the top of the individual errors table with seven (only Everton have more with 11 and they're pretty much in a crisis at the moment), which seems to be the case every season. Once again Szczesny might get dropped for poor form, which has happened in the past two seasons (you wonder when the penny will drop with him). The midfield is weak and lacks dicsipline, while the attack is inconsistent. As a collective, we're a weak team.

As a manager, this has been Wenger's poorest year. He failed to sign a centre back so now he can't rest his current centre backs or drop them for poor form, and we all know Koscielny and Mertesacker need rest and to be dropped respectively. He's played his right back and left back at centre back because he seemingly doesn't trust his young centre backs. He's failed to address the lack of strength in midfield again. He hasn't rotated his team enough, and while injuries have played a part in that he's had two attackers in Podolski and Campbell on the bench virtually every game and has refused to use them.

During a game he takes too long to make a change when we need a change. Whatever he says at half-time doesn't appear to work all that often. Preparation before games sucks as we repeatedly start games half-asleep and often lack the required intensity and fight. Tactically it's obvious we don't do a lot of work. Set-pieces are routinely terrible, defensively and offensively. It makes you wonder what we're doing in training.

Then there are the injuries which hamper us every season but still gets used as an excuse time and again while he sits there scratching his head as to why it keeps happening.

/rant

Next time we lose, just copy and paste this.

The milk has gone stale imo

I wonder if it was  the worst match played by Sczesny with Arsenal
I rate him a valid GK but yesterday he was awful

good thing we play only once a week for next month

Kos and Per can excused for needing rest/lack of fitness but Szczesny??
really want him replaced but wont happen

still wont give up until seeing what we do for rest of the spine, CB/Holding Mid

if we just try settling for stop gap signings there then we are Done

for this season i hope we get our mid trio Arteta/Ramsey/Özil back
stick to settled XI[in 4231] and get results

doesn't seem we can hope for one final warning like spurs away in 12-13 to force us to sort it out and put our s**t together eh

GoonerJay29 wrote:As a manager, this has been Wenger's poorest year. He failed to sign a centre back so now he can't rest his current centre backs or drop them for poor form, and we all know Koscielny and Mertesacker need rest and to be dropped respectively. He's played his right back and left back at centre back because he seemingly doesn't trust his young centre backs. He's failed to address the lack of strength in midfield again. He hasn't rotated his team enough, and while injuries have played a part in that he's had two attackers in Podolski and Campbell on the bench virtually every game and has refused to use them.

During a game he takes too long to make a change when we need a change. Whatever he says at half-time doesn't appear to work all that often. Preparation before games sucks as we repeatedly start games half-asleep and often lack the required intensity and fight. Tactically it's obvious we don't do a lot of work. Set-pieces are routinely terrible, defensively and offensively. It makes you wonder what we're doing in training.

Then there are the injuries which hamper us every season but still gets used as an excuse time and again while he sits there scratching his head as to why it keeps happening.

/rant

This is not a rant. This is the truth of it. And this is honestly what I think about Wenger.

One thing I can't quite grasp is how, game-after-game, our set-piece taking remains so horrible.

Hope we keep Coquelin in the squad and sign a new DM as well.

Move Flamini and Diaby on, we'd have a neat bunch of players.

GoonerJay29 wrote:There have been lots of things that have depressed me this season, but seeing Southampton beat us so comfortably is right up there.

Southampton are a great example of what good coaching and good tactics can do for a team. They've the best defence in the league with a backline that's unspectacular but organised and protected by a strong and intelligent midfield. They don't have that much guile in their team yet they're dangerous when they attack.  

To put this into perspective, Koeman has been in charge for less than a year and they had a major turnover of players in the summer. Yet in that time, they've built a consistent side, helped by everyone knowing what their role is and creating a strong collective.

When I compare it to how Arsenal are, you can really see how far we've fallen in these areas. Once again we're near the top of the individual errors table with seven (only Everton have more with 11 and they're pretty much in a crisis at the moment), which seems to be the case every season. Once again Szczesny might get dropped for poor form, which has happened in the past two seasons (you wonder when the penny will drop with him). The midfield is weak and lacks dicsipline, while the attack is inconsistent. As a collective, we're a weak team.

As a manager, this has been Wenger's poorest year. He failed to sign a centre back so now he can't rest his current centre backs or drop them for poor form, and we all know Koscielny and Mertesacker need rest and to be dropped respectively. He's played his right back and left back at centre back because he seemingly doesn't trust his young centre backs. He's failed to address the lack of strength in midfield again. He hasn't rotated his team enough, and while injuries have played a part in that he's had two attackers in Podolski and Campbell on the bench virtually every game and has refused to use them.

During a game he takes too long to make a change when we need a change. Whatever he says at half-time doesn't appear to work all that often. Preparation before games sucks as we repeatedly start games half-asleep and often lack the required intensity and fight. Tactically it's obvious we don't do a lot of work. Set-pieces are routinely terrible, defensively and offensively. It makes you wonder what we're doing in training.

Then there are the injuries which hamper us every season but still gets used as an excuse time and again while he sits there scratching his head as to why it keeps happening.

/rant

Next time we lose, just copy and paste this.

That's not even a rant, it's an extremely accurate breakdown of our season by season running problems as a team....

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-keeper-wojciech-szczesny-slapped-4924564

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/06/wojciech-szczesny-smoking-showers-arsenal

Smoking in the St. Mary's showers after the disastrous performance, and a 20k pound fine.

Looks like there is something wrong after all.

Don't know what's more ridiculous, that a professional player would light a cigarette anywhere in the entire complex when he's still not off duty, or that someone could find that out. BS.

Don't know what's so bad about having a smoke in the shower after having a terrible game.
It was either that or sitting down crying in the running water for 20 minutes, and he decided to pull himself together.

Something something professional behaviour something

Off topic: FFS Hans, when did you switch allegiance?!